Maximizing Liquid Fuel Production from Reformed Biogas by Kinetic Studies and Optimization of Fischer-Tropsch Reactions

In the current work, the operating conditions for the Fischer-Tropsch process were optimized using experimental testing, kinetic modelling, simulation, and optimization. The experiments were carried out using a Ce-Co/SiO2 catalyst to examine how operating parameters affected the conversion of CO and product selectivity. A power-law kinetic model was used to represent the reaction rates in a mathematical model that was created to replicate the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). It was decided to estimate the kinetic parameters using a genetic optimization technique. The developed model was validated for a range of operating conditions, including a temperature range of 200-240 degrees C, a pressure range of 5-25 bar, a H2/CO ratio of 0.5-4, and a space velocity range of 1000-5000 mL/gcat center dot h. The mean absolute relative error (MARE) between the experimental and predicted results was found to be 11.7%, indicating good agreement between the experimental data and the predicted results obtained by the mathematical model. Optimization was applied to maximize the production of liquid biofuels (C5+). The maximum C5+ selectivity was 91.66, achieved at an operating temperature of 200 degrees C, reactor total pressure of 6.29 bar, space velocity of 1529.58 mL/gcat center dot h, and a H2/CO feed ratio of 3.96. The practical implications of the present study are maximizing liquid biofuel production from biomass and municipal solid waste (MSW) as a renewable energy source to meet energy requirements, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and waste management.